Asian Climates Of Bali

Asian climates of Bali combine modernity and tradition. For the average European, first time in Asia, pose a real challenge. Here are our impressions from a trip to this holiday paradise.

Our first experiences in Bali were not too pleasant. After landing, it turned out that buying a visa before the trip was a mistake. Queue paying on the spot, in some magical way moving twice as fast. Next surprise was help of what we thought was an airport staff, dressed in uniforms, with the transport of our luggage from the belt outside the gate to the scanner. As it turned out, a very expensive private service. After this greeting, booking a taxi is relatively easy. You simply pay for the trip in advance at the airport office.

Our initial experience do not alter the fact that Bali is wonderful, and contrary to popular belief has a lot more to offer than just beautiful weather, beaches and nightlife. Bali is one of the islands of Indonesia that has preserved the original culture and the art, as one of the few places that still remains under the influence of Hinduism. Stunning volcanic landscapes, coffee plantations, rice fields terraces, ancient temples and the unique lifestyle and traditional crafts are just some of the attractions of this small island.

Rice fields terraces make a big impression. Cultivated by the locals in the traditional way they are one of the wonders of Bali. They are regularly flooded with waters form mountain latkes, like Bratan. The timing is determined by the local temples and is always associated with celebrations in the form of Hindu religious holidays. It is widely believed that some of the groups of Balinese terraces are used for over a thousand years. Locals use every piece of land for cultivation, and the individual plots can have sizes as small as 15 cm wide.

Traveling around Bali, one gets the impression that religion is present in every aspect of Balinese life. From miniature offerings placed on the sidewalks (be careful not to trample it) and private temples in almost every home, to the huge sacral complexes, religion is omnipresent. The biggest surprise for us was a visit to our guide’s home, where one third of the whole complex was a private temple. A multitude of festivals and religious ceremonies in Bali, makes our few days a year looks very modestly.